Botanical classification/cultivar designation: Anthuriumxc3x97hybrid cultivar Patriot.
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Anthurium plant, botanically known as Anthuriumxc3x97hybrid, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name xe2x80x98Patriotxe2x80x99.
The new Anthurium is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventors in Apopka, Fla. The objective of the breeding program is to create new Anthurium cultivars with dark red-colored spathes, dark green-colored foliage and a uniform and freely flowering habit.
The new Anthurium originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventors in Apopka, Fla. in September, 2000, of the Anthuriumxc3x97hybrid cultivar Cherry Red, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 12,315, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary selection of Anthuriumxc3x97hybrid identified as code number 167-1, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The cultivar Patriot was discovered and selected by the Inventors as a flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled environment in Apopka, Fla., in August, 2002.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by meristem culture in a controlled environment in Sebring, Fla., since 2002, has shown that the unique features of this new Anthurium plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual propagation.
The new Anthurium has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of the cultivar Patriot. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Patriotxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar of Anthurium:
1. Upright and outwardly spreading plant habit; relatively intermediate in size.
2. Glossy dark green-colored leaves with reddish brown-colored venation and petioles.
3. Ovate-shaped, dark red-colored spathes with whitish-colored spadices.
4. Inflorescences that are positioned above the foliage on strong and erect reddish brown-colored scapes.
5. Excellent inflorescence longevity with spathes maintaining dark red coloration for at least eight weeks.
Plants of the new Anthurium are most similar to plants of the female parent, the cultivar Cherry Red. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Apopka, Fla., plants of the new Anthurium differed from plants of the cultivar Cherry Red in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Anthurium were more compact and better suited to smaller container sizes than plants of the cultivar Cherry Red.
2. Leaves of plants of the new Anthurium were smaller and narrower than leaves of plants of the cultivar Cherry Red.
3. Spathes of plants of the new Anthurium were smaller and more rounded in shape than spathes of plants of the cultivar Cherry Red.
Plants of the new Anthurium can be compared to plants of the male parent, the proprietary selection identified as code number 167-1. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Apopka, Fla., plants of the new Anthurium differed from plants of the male parent selection in the following characteristics:
1. Leaves of plants of the new Anthurium were narrower and darker green in color than leaves of plants of the male parent selection.
2. Leaf venation, petioles and scapes of plants of the new Anthurium were reddish brown in color whereas leaf venation, petioles and scapes of plants of the male parent selection were green in color.
3. Spathes of plants of the new Anthurium were dark red in color whereas spathes of plants of the male parent selection were lavender in color.